


Rupture: Phase I

by XvoodooXXblueX



Series: Rupture [1]
Category: Watchmen (Comic), Watchmen - All Media Types
Genre: Alcoholism, Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-13
Updated: 2014-03-13
Packaged: 2018-01-15 14:52:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1308889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XvoodooXXblueX/pseuds/XvoodooXXblueX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is their first meeting after Bill's death and while Nelly tries to cling to hope, Byron seems to have taken a worrying turn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rupture: Phase I

The ticking of the long case clock in the corner of the room filled his ears. Nelly looked up at it and frowned. 2015 hours. Byron was late.

“He’s late,” Nelly announced with a huff, uncrossing and recrossing his arms as he looked over at Hollis. The other man didn’t say anything, just nodding, his expression serious. Nelly turned back to observe the door, tapping his foot against the leg of his chair impatiently.

Byron walked in five minutes later, dressed in his Mothman costume minus the cowl and the wings.

“You’re late,” Nelly pointed out, his brow creasing in a disapproving frown. He could tell by the way the other vigilante went to slouch in his chair that he’d been drinking again.

“To what?” Byron asked with an air of utter indifference. It infuriated Nelly.

“To the meeting,” he exclaimed “The meeting I had scheduled for 2000 hours to discuss the future of the Minutemen.”

Silence reigned for a moment and, sighing, Nelly had to accept the relatively blank, disinterested stare Byron was giving him and that Hollis would probably stay attentive but silent until Nelly had laid out any plans.

Which was exactly what Nelly was unsure about, because really, where were they going? With Bill and Ursula dead, Sally retired and HJ God knew where… No, Nelly didn’t even want to contemplate what HJ might be doing and with whom; he hadn’t been able to contact him for days. Those thoughts were too painful for Nelly to dwell on. Besides, he had a team of masked crime fighters on the verge of falling apart.

Currently there were only himself, Hollis and Byron around to form a team and while Hollis was a great help, Byron was not. Byron was, in fact, a bit of a mess: drinking more and more, moody all the time. Well, Nelly couldn’t say that he blamed him. Byron and Bill had been close, though that was only the official story. No, Nelly knew that Byron and Bill had been so much more; they’d been lovers and Bill’s death had obviously hit Byron incredibly hard. What was more, though, it had changed him: it had made Byron unpredictable and unapproachable, especially for Nelly. They’d rarely seen eye to eye, exactly, before, but it was now hard for Nelly to even have a normal conversation with the other man.

“In any case,” Nelly continued, taking a deep breath before launching into the discussion he had prepared for the meeting.

“I realise, recent events have been incredibly… difficult and have left us a little short of manpower and morale, but at least some of us are still here. We are here and we’re still the Minutemen. So… I have made some plans to regroup that will allow us to—”

“What’s there to regroup,” Byron intersected Nelly’s speech, turning a chillingly empty gaze on Nelly. “Face it, Nelson. The Minutemen are over.”

With those words out in the open, Byron pushed back his chair and left, letting the door slam shut behind him and leaving Nelly and Hollis to sit in stunned silence. It was Nelly who unfroze first, still gaping after Byron as he took deep, steadying breaths.

“What? Did he just…?” Anger was slowly welling up inside Nelly, making him quiver as he clenched his fists.

“He did not just walk out of this meeting,” Nelson fumed indignantly. “Goddamnit, Byron.”

Nelly pushed back his chair roughly, fully intent on going after his fellow vigilante. Hollis, however, grabbed Nelly’s arm as he made to walk past.

“Don’t,” Hollis advised, his voice and eyes serious. “He won’t talk. I tried.”

Nelly stared at Hollis for a few seconds, still boiling with anger, but he let it go, shaking off Hollis’ hand before storming off to the basement where he spent the next few hours working out vigorously.

He emerged later on, exhausted, his hair still damp from the shower. The building was dark and silent. Now that everyone else was gone Nelson decided he should probably go home too. Go home to his silent apartment to wait in solitude for a call, or a knock on the door that might never come.

With a sigh, Nelly began to ascend the stairs to get his coat and lock up his office. On his way there he noticed that there was still light shining through the slit underneath Byron’s office door. Nelly walked past and hesitated by his own office before turning back. He had to try to talk to Byron. This just had to… stop and although Nelly hated to admit it, he was worried about the other man.

Nelly knocked on the door twice and waited for an answer. He got none.

“Byron, can I come in?” Nelly knocked again, and again he got no reply. That only served to make him feel even more uneasy.

“I’m coming in,” Nelson warned before slowly opening the door and stepping inside the room. It was almost dark. The curtains were drawn and only the desk light had been switched on. Byron was sitting at his desk, hunched over, but he looked up as Nelly approached. Nelson could smell the alcohol from the opened decanter from where he was standing once he approached the other man.

“Byron?” he ventured tentatively, not sure whether he should even be here.

“What do you want?” Byron replied after a beat of silence. His voice sounded strained in a way that Nelson didn’t like at all. Sighing, he stepped around the side of the desk.

“Look, Byron… I know… I know you—”

Nelly never got to finish what he was about to say, because in a heartbeat Byron had jumped up, toppling over his chair and had pushed Nelly up against the wall none too gently, gripping the front of his shirt.

“You know?” Byron growled and he was so close now that Nelly found the alcohol on Byron’s breath almost overwhelming. In any case, Nelly barely dared to breathe, too shocked and slightly frightened.

“What do you know?” Byron continued, his voice now low, almost a purr. “What could you possibly know, Nelson? You know nothing.”

Byron pressed Nelly further into the wall and Nelly had to close his eyes in order to avoid the other man’s piercing gaze. He was honestly frightened of what he saw there.

“Nothing…”

Byron trailed off into silence and Nelly opened his eyes, gazing pleadingly at the man who was holding him trapped. At the same time he vaguely had to marvel at how much strength was hidden in that lithe body.

“Oh, God, Byron. Please let go,” Nelly implored, breathing sped up by the adrenaline that was pumping through his body.

Byron cocked his head slightly and smiled. In this situation that was more unnerving than Nelly could have ever imagined.

“Byron?”

Byron said nothing, but he leant in closer until his lips gently brushed across Nelly’s. Breath hitching, Nelly couldn’t believe this was happening. He barely reciprocated, even as Byron began to kiss him more passionately.

“Byron? Byron, stop.” Nelson’s words were muffled and it took him a moment to gather his wits enough to push Byron away. Not hard enough to let on just how disturbed he was by the other man’s behaviour, but firmly enough to create some space between them.

Byron stumbled back a pace and stayed there, standing, just staring at Nelly with wide eyes. Nelson was immediately worried. Byron looked frightened.

“Oh God, oh my God…,” Byron murmured before wrapping his arms around himself, turning away. Nelly could see the tell-tale tremor of rising panic run through Byron so he stepped closer, gingerly laying a hand on the other’s shoulder.

“Byron? It’s alright. It’s fine, you’re fine…”

It didn’t seem to help. If anything, it seemed to make Byron tremble more. Slowly, Nelly applied some pressure to his grip, coaxing Byron into turning around. Once he had done so, Nelly made sure to keep him there. He took a deep breath, meeting Byron’s bloodshot and panicked gaze.

“It’s fine, Byron. Don’t worry about it,” Nelly soothed, relieved when the other man seemed to relax slightly.

“Come, on. Let’s get you home,” he said, arm sliding around Byron’s shoulders so he could steer him towards the door.


End file.
